How Long Does Nicotine Take To Leave The System?

Posted on Wed, 30 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Wed, 30 Sep 2015 Answered on

Tue, 20 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : Am an occasional stress smoker. Sort of quit 9/9/15 after smoking almost a pack a day for a month. Then I smoked 2 cigs about a weekago and 1 last night. JUST found out I have to do a nicotine test at a hospital for the occupational health exam. Should I be ok on the nicotine if i drink alot of water up until friday? Also, i walk, lift weights occasionally.

Answered by Dr. Urszula Stanko (38 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
After 72 hours you should pass a nicotine test.

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

Welcome to Healthcare Magic.

I had gone through your question and understand your concerns.

Nicotine can be found in the urine for 48-72 hours and in the saliva for 3 days so you should pass a nicotine test if you are tested after these time periods.

I suggest you to drink more water to increase your metabolism. This can help you to flush some amounts of nicotine. Also exercise and eating fruits containing vitamin c should help.

You can buy home nicotine test to check if you will pass your nicotine test at a hospital.

Hope I have answered your query. If you have any further questions I will be happy to help.

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Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Neel Kudchadkar